John stephenson



(No Model.)

STEPHENSON. GAR WINDOW SASH.

No. 323,967. Patented Aug. 11, 1885.

N. PETERS, Phalo-Lilhngmphur, Wishingtnn. v.

Units stares tries.

Arena CAR-WINDOW SASH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 323,967, dated August 11,1885.

Application filed July 3, 1885.

ments in Car-Window Sash, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is a sash for tram-car windows; and it consists in constructing the sash of wooden top and bottom rails and metal stiles with channels for rubber strips, as fully set'forth hereinafter, so as to secure strength and durability, present wide side openings, and prevent variations in size from the swelling or warping of the frames.

In the drawings, Figure l is a face view illustrating the construction of my improved sash-frame. Fig. 2 is asection on the line 12, Fig.1. Fig. 3 is a section on theline 3 4, Fig.1.

Public taste demands much glass in streetcar windows. This has led to lessening the number of openings and of side pillars in the ear-body, but results in increased difiiculty in handling the larger and heavier sash, and also in greater expense in maintaining the glass, and reduces the strength of the car, because of the less number of pillars supporting the sides of the car-body.

Window-sashes are generally made wholly of wood, and are soon perishable, because of the thinness of the stiles, which necessitates very thin tenons to the rails, which soon decay from the induction of water at the joints. \Voodsashes are further subject to fluctuation in size, being affected by moisture or wet weather, which swells the stiles, causing the sashes to stick and be immovable, and dry weather shrinks the stiles, causing openings for winds and storms. Much annoyance also is occasioned by rattling of glass in sashes, owing largely to variable thickness and curvatures in the planeof the glass, which frequently cause breakage in effort to straighten or force the glass to conform to the arbitrary line of walls between which the glass is held. My remedy is to use the best form of car with extended openings but I substitute for the allwood sash those having metal stiles A A, in the form of channel-bars, which, being narrow on their face, are scarcely perceptible when in the boxing or grooves of the pillars, do not reduce the area of the sight-openings, and

(No model.)

give the appearance of open windows, afiord ing unobstructed field of vision. Each sashstileA is made of a plate bent to a U shape transversely, and at adjusted distances I place between the flanges of the channel-bar stiles the ends of the top andbottom rails, B O, with the end grains of the wood touching the bottom of each channel, the rails being secured in their places by screws 8, extending through the flanges and into the wood of the rails. By

this arrangement I secure narrow stiles, wide sight-openings, and durable connections of rails and stiles. No wood of vertical grain being used in the sashes, they cannot vary their width by swelling or shrinking, and consequently the sashes always remain as fitted, working easily and excluding storms and winds. That the stiles may be flush with the faces of the rails, I rabbet each end of each rail to receive the flanges of the stiles. The metal stiles have their channels between the rails filled with rubber strips 6, molded to fit, and each with a groove to receive the edge of the glass, the rubber being presentin sufficient quantity to receive the glass regardless of its inequalities, and serving to so cushion the glass as to prevent rattling, while holding the glass so easily as to prevent strains thereon producing breakage. Usually the lower corners of the car-sashes have been square, causing weakness of the side iiillar-face at its junction with the belt-rail This I now remedy by omitting to out out the glass-frame run or boxing at the corner, and the wood left I shape in form of a corner-block, 2, giving strength to the pillar-face at the weak point, and l cutaway the sash at each corner, forming a notch, r, to receive the block t, which also forms a rest for the sash, causing it to be held fixedly in place.

Repairs upon car-sashes are attended with difficulty, inconvenience, and discomfort. When a glass is broken, the car must be laid up, or the car continues on the road in an imperfect condition, or a workman must go with the car, making an effort to put the glass in its sash whilein placein theear. These difficulties would be remedied by having duplicate sashes to replace those broken but the varia:

tions in the sizes of the sashes have prevented the fumes retain their constructed dimenl in contact with the bottoms of the channels,as

sions, so that when the window-openings of the ear-body are of established size all the sashes kept as duplicates will fit any of the openings and a new sash can be substituted immediately for one which is damaged in any way.

I claim 1. A tram car having window-sashes with stiles of metal in channel-bar form and the rails ofwood, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A tram-car having window-sashes with metal stiles, the ends of the top and bottom rails being inserted into the channels and there secured by screws or rivets passing through the flanges of the channel-bars and into the wood rails, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A car-window sash with stiles of metal channel-bars, holding the ends of the top and bottom rails with the end grains of the wood and for the purpose set forth.

4. A carwindow sash having metal stiles of channetbar form, the channels filled with i ndia-rubber corresponding to the channel, and the face of the rubber at the open side of the channel having a groove to receive the windowglass, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A car-window sash having stiles of metal channel-bars, with the lower ends of each metal stile shaped angular to fit the corner-- block of the pillar at its junction with the belt rail, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN STEPHENSON.

Vitnesses Jos. B. STErnnNsoN, STUART A. S'JEPIIENSON. 

